I’m so excited to hear that there are eight new participants of Escadrille Louisiana for the 2015-2016 school year! Escadrille is a program that allows its students the opportunity to go to France for one year in order to teach and study in a French university with the goal of becoming a French teacher in Louisiana.

It was truly an incredible year where I found my passion and found great American and European friends. When I first applied to the TAPIF program, I had absolutely no desire to teach. But, with Escadrille and with the support of CODOFIL, my teachers in France and at Centenary College, and my colleagues, I realized that teaching French was my passion. Not only French, but French in Louisiana. And now, nearly three years later, I still hold the Escadrille program dear to my heart.

Last weekend, I traveled to Lafayette with a dozen French students from the high school where I work. We participated in ALCFES, or the Louisiana Association of French Clubs of Secondary Schools. There were schools participating from everywhere. We met teachers and students from Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Church Point, and New Orleans, etc.

I have always heard of ALCFES, but I never knew how large of a conference it really was. Imagine a huge gathering of young Louisianans who are interested in making friends and are interested in the French-speaking world. As a professor, I was ecstatic to see that our students were able to use the French language outside of the confines of a classroom. The students were asked to meet and talk with people in only French and not English.

The first night, we had the pleasure of attending a Sweet Crude concert, a young band from New Orleans that plays indie music in French. It was a great experience for the students and of course for the teachers as well! The next day, after a beautiful day at Vermillionville, the entire conference gathered for a banquet. Louisiana State Representative Stephen Ortego spoke and gave advice to young Louisianans on how to pursue French and how to use it on a daily basis. He talked about how we can find our talents and we can show them off in French. It made me think of this blog. I write this blog not only because I love to write, but also because I love to promote the French language in my home state and beyond. I was very happy that the students had the opportunity to hear him speak. He showed them that it is very much possible to lead a French life in Louisiana. If you yourself are also interested in French in Louisiana, then I ask you to do the same. We can all find something in French in Louisiana.

Louisiana State Representative Stephen Ortego

Basically, a state-wide gathering a French speakers and lovers always does us some good, but now I just have to wait until the next ALCFES conference in 2015!

Have you ever thought about the symbols that make up a culture? How does a symbol make us think of a culture or a region in only a matter of seconds?

In Louisiana, we have above all else, the fleur-de-lis. It’s not shown on the flag of Louisiana, but you can find it almost anywhere in the state. Our city and regional flags hold their french heritage close to their hearts with a little fleur-de-lis tacked on it, which comes from the previous Kingdom of France. Even our sports teams, the Saints for example, use the fleur-de-lis, as their symbol, a way to show the United States that we are still just a little different from the rest of the states in this melting pot of a country.

You could also say that the fleur-de-lis is a symbol of life. A little piece that we hold close to our hearts every day. It’s our joie de vivre. In New Orleans, almost all of her citizens wear a fleur-de-lis in some way or another. A necklace with a shining fleur-de-lis, a t-shirt, a bracelet, tattoos, etc. The fleur-de-lis is our life, our heritage, and our culture.

After spending a year in Brittany, I noticed we aren’t the only ones who hold on to a different culture.

For the, it’s all about the triskell. Across the pond, it’s posted on walls, on beers, and they wear necklaces, etc. A constant reminder of their breton and celtic heritage.

I’ve always found it interesting to notice the power of a symbol, one that can cultivate and nourish an entire culture.

I’m from Louisiana. Obviously, without a doubt, I love the heat because it’s always very hot in my beautiful state. And, after six months of rain and frost, it is finally beautiful in Rennes, and I’m taking advantage of it.

In my opinion, when it’s sunny outside, we are happier, more at ease: nothing is impossible. I want to wander across the entire city, and I want to be a part of nature like Katniss Everdeen or a child of the forest. All my worries are forgotten. It’s just me and earth. Basically, I love sunshine.

Le parc de Bréquigny à Rennes / Bréquigny Park in Rennes

The one annoying thing: It’s finally sunny in Brittany, and I’m leaving in three weeks!

The trees were green, the river flowed, and the castle looked down at us from up above. I was in Nantes, the largest city of Western France.

Nantes

I showed up to the city’s convention center at around noon. We were invited to a luncheon showcasing Acadian and Louisianan cuisine. While eating my jambalaya, a man from Nova Scotia looks at me.

“So, do you have Acadian heritage?” he asks me.

I don’t know what to say. I know that I have some Acadian ancestry, but neither my last name nor my mother is Cajun.

“Uh, not really, no, but I’m Louisianan!”

I’m not a Boudreaux, and I’m not a Landry, but nevertheless, we discuss and we drink.

“And when you hang out with your friends in Louisiana, is it like a red flag when you speak English?”

“Yes, and no,” I tell him. “I try to always speak in French, but sometimes we end up talking in English anyway.”

We eat a real mix of all that is Acadian, Louisianan, and French, and then we talk about Acadian identity.

Mémoire des Acadiens

That night, I meet young francophones from everywhere. A young Acadian girl comes up to me and tells me about the situation of French in her hometown of Halifax in Nova Scotia. I notice that there is a strong presence of English in New Orleans too, my hometown. The night ends at a Les Hay Babies and Vishtèn concert, two amazing bands from Acadia.

I notice that Les Hay Babies are young, creative, and francophone, like me. At the end of the concert, a musician from Vishtèn asks the crowd if there are any Louisianans in the audience.

“Yeah!” we shout.

“We love you,” the musician says.

“We love you too!” a friend of mine replies.

I look over at my other friend right next to me. Tears of joy flow from her eyes. I shed a tear too because I realize that the Francophonie is far greater than I ever imagined.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being invited to the head of the Academy of Rennes’s residence for the signing of the accords between Brittany and Louisiana. As an Escadrille Louisiane student, I was able to see this effort between the French and Louisianan governments to truly promote the friendship between these two countries.

Well-dressed and with a smile, I walked into the St-Melaine Palace. I saw flags representing France and Louisiana, and I met important people from both sides of the Atlantic.

As always, I am very proud to be from Louisiana, and of course I am happy to see Franco-Louisianan relations grow. Furthermore, I will continue to be an ambassador of French Louisiana, and I hope that there will be more ambassadors from France in my home state thanks to this beautiful effort.

________________________________________________________________Here in Rennes, it’s really crazy that this festival took place during my year teaching in France. Le Grand Soufflet, an accordion festival, is a festival around the entire Ile et Vilaine region. This year, they showcased many Louisiana bands, due of course to Cajun and Zydeco music.

When I walked into the concert hall, I was at ease. Yes, it’s true that Louisianans always feel at home at music venues. I ordered a Breton beer, and I waited impatiently for the start of the show.

After a few minutes, he was there, the famous accordionist Steve Riley with his band Racines (Kevin Wimmer and Chris Stafford). I was dreaming. Here I was, miles away from Louisiana, and I felt like I was at a dance hall in Breaux Bridge. They played, we danced, and we all let the good times roll.

Yeah, I love France, but we are always given some sort of reminder that Louisiana is our heart, our life.